Improvement in the processes of treating sugar-cane leaves



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEOPHILE HARANG, OF BANANA GROVE PLANTATION, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROCESSES 0F TREATING SUGAR-CANE LEAVES, &c-| FOROBTAINING FIBROUS MATERIALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 126,293, dated April30, 1872.

Specification describing a new and Improved Process of TreatingSugar-Cane Leaf, Bagasse, and Sorghum for obtaining the Fiber, inventedby THEOPHILE HARANG, of Banana Grove Plantation, in the parish of LaFourche and State of Louisiana.

The object of this invention is to devise a practical plan whereby therefuse leaves and bagasse ofthe sugar-cane and sorghum plants may be putinto shape for convenient transportation and final conversion intotextile fabric of suitable kind.

The great bulk of such leaves or bagasse, and the consequent expense anddifliculty of transporting the same to mills where the fibrous materialmay be extracted for use, make the same at present an unprofitableburden to planters, which it is most economical to destroy. In thismanner enormous quantities of valuable material are utterly lost to thepeople and the Government.

By the use of my invention planters will be enabled cheaply andconveniently to extract the fiber fromtheir refuse sorghum or sugarcaneplant, and then transport the valuable matter to cities or places whereit can be worked into paper or woven fabric. The fabric alone is notbulky, and comparatively inexpensive to transport.

The following is a description of my mode of preparation andmanufacture:

The leaves must be operated upon while green. The disintegration of thetextile being difficult, and the leaves being brittle, they should besubmitted to the action of hot water or steam and boiled before comingin contact with the rollers, as otherwise they will be cut or chopped upand yield nothing but dust or powder, or a finelygranulated substanceresembling hominy or corn-meal.

The leaves, duly saturated with hot water or steam which is impregnatedwith lime, are next passed between a certain number of rollers-saythree, more or less, sets-which gradually crush them, with intermediatecombs or teeth to separate and disintegrate the fibers. They are thenplaced into large reservoirs or tanks, and suffered to remain thereseveral days, until the non-fibrous matter has been satisfactorilydissolved. The fiber must then be washed, passed through wringers,allowed to dry, and finally submitted to the action of a gin, or of anymachine that will properly clean and separate them.

The same operation is performed with regard to the bagasse and sorghumrefuse.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent The process of converting sugar-cane leaves, bagasse,and sorghum refuse into fiber, herein specified.

THEOPHILE HARANG.

Witnesses:

HURBAIN PHiLocLEs P00111 3, LOUIS AMEDE'E BABIN.

